Baghpat panchayat bans mobiles for women, police says no idea

Police in Uttar Pradesh's Asara village said that it is not aware about a ban imposed by the panchayat which decreed that women of 40 years and less can't use mobile phones and also directed them not to visit markets without a male companion. S Raju reports.

Police in Uttar Pradesh's Asara village said that it is not aware about a ban imposed by the panchayat which decreed that women of 40 years and less can't use mobile phones and also directed them not to visit markets without a male companion.

The panchayat also decided to boycott love marriages in the village.

"We are not aware about such panchayats and their decrees against women," said the ADG office in Baghpat.

Though Asara is a muslim dominated village, people from all castes and communities participated in the panchayat to discuss prevailing social evils in the society.

Majority of villagers held that frequent use of mobile phones was responsible for many persisiting evils in the society.

According to sources, village pradhan Musharraf was not present in the panchayat but its decisions were unanimously accepted by the villagers.

The panchayat was third of its kind in the district in the past one year.

Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh represents Baghpat.

Earlier, a panchayat in Basaud banned unmarried girls from using mobile phones and another panchayat in Gauspur also placed a ban on playing loud music on mobile phones and use of DJs during weddings.